Prime Collective

Death of a Trailer Park(25 images)

As the gap between the rich and poor in the United States grows, so does the disparity in housing. Nowhere is this more evident than in California. Housing is not keeping up with population growth - 250,000 families move to the state every year, but only 190,000 new homes are built. This demand has sent housing costs skyrocketing.

As the gap between the rich and poor in the United States grows, so does the disparity in housing. Nowhere is this more evident than in California. Housing is not keeping up with population growth - 250,000 families move to the state every year, but only 190,000 new homes are built. This demand has sent housing costs skyrocketing.

No one feels these rising rents more than those that can least afford it: the poor. One traditional haven for the poor has been the trailer park. Median rent in the western US is over $850, but a family could rent space in a trailer park for as little as $250 a month, including all utilities. This allows those with minimum wage jobs and on federal assistance to afford shelter.

As property values increase, these trailer parks are being developed into more expensive tract homes and retail centers. In the low-income community of Olivehurst, less than an hour's drive from the State Capitol in Sacramento, the Andina Village trailer park is abandoned by its owner and purchased by a local developer. The residents are evicted, forcing them to vainly search for inexpensive housing. Some move out of the state or into the homes of relatives.« less